This will be brief, and probably contain misspellings. I am caring for an elderly woman who recently had extensive foot surgery for cancer. Although she can only hop on one foot, she now lacks the ability to follow directions and continues to hop around the house, risking another surgery should the foot touch the ground and the wound reopen. It's like keeping a toddler from taking ornaments off the Christmas tree.
There is a misunderstanding between those who support Israels' right to exist and those who are horrified at what is going on in Gaza. I want to state the situation from my view, in hopes that when people clearly understand what I am saying they will see that my desire for the fighting to end is not a desire to allow Hamas to destroy Israel. It is not support for those in Greece or France who are attacking Jews and their houses of worship.
Israel is conflating two things, they want to close tunnels into Israel, and while they are doing that they are bombing UN school sanctuaries and killing UN workers and people who are obviously non-combatant refugees.
I have no problem with them closing tunnels. They are lying when they say the ONLY reason for the tunnels is to kill Israeli citizens and soldiers. The tunnels are also used for smuggling food and medicine and fuel into Israel in defiance of the limitations imposed by Israel.
Even if Hamas uses Israeli construction supplies for building tunnels and bunkers, Israel is wrong to limit food, fuel and medicine to those in Gaza. These limitations are OFFICIAL POLICY, and have been in place at least since the last war in 2012. This is pure evil and not defensible. This punishes non-combatants. Even when the UN has offered to take responsibility for food and medicine, Israel has refused permission. This is not HAMAS, this is no threat to Israeli citizens or soldiers. To say this is because of Hamas is to say that you are willing to injure and kill people for electing the wrong government.
Israel is bombing refugee camps and killing both staff and refugees. They have the ability to tell where schools are, their excuse is that rockets were fired "near" the school. This is evil. If it's so fcking hard to tell the difference between what is inside a school and what is outside, station an Israeli observer within each school to let the bombers know whether the rocket is coming from the N, E, W or S.
Israel is destroying homes because 1 of 6 to 25 people in the house are connected to Hamas. This is evil, if they are inside the house you can certainly shoot them once they leave. Inside the house they are not a threat to anyone.
Israel's definition of Hamas is laughable. Cops who directed traffic may work for the Hamas government, but they are giving out parking tickets. They are no threat to Israel. This is every bit as stupid as the US government deciding that every male over 16 killed in a drone strike is an enemy combatant. That may work during a gun battle, but it doesn't apply to a wedding party or a funeral.
Israel continues to bomb hospitals, with the same rocket firing excuse. This is evil.
Israel bombed the main power plant, and is now working at eliminating the ability of people in Gaza to contact the outside world through cell phones and other electronic media. They know their actions are mobilizing the world against them.
If non-combatants are allowed a place to take refuge, if food and medicine and medical care in hospitals are provided, if power and communication is returned, I will listen to Israels' explanation of why they are at war with Hamas. Until then, I condemn them, in the strongest possible terms, as criminals, as sinners before God and man.
Please, stop supporting this monstrous, inhumane behavior. Draw a line between war and genocide. They are killing UN employees. Nothing that has ever happened to any Jew anywhere in the world at any time in history justifies the deliberate murder of UN refugee workers. Nothing.
I don't know if Israel can survive as a country without the support of the world community. At first I was very scared for Jews outside Israel, worried that they would be unfairly targeted based on Israeli conduct during this war. Their refusal to condemn this murder is putting them at risk, but at this point I can't care more about the safety of Jewish people outside Israel than they do.
Silence is consent. Please stop being silent. You are the only ones who can stop this war. Hamas is not children, not refugees sheltering in schools, not UN workers, not food, water, medicine, hospitals or electricity.
I will not be able to monitor comments. Anyone who discusses Hamas without acknowledging that Hamas is not schools, hospitals, refugees or UN workers is trolling for the purpose of this diary. Feel free to post about Hamas in your own diary. I'll read it, and consider what you say with an open mind.
Silence is consent. Speak out. Please.